Bumpy Ride

Author

By Matt Potter

Publish Date

Aug. 4, 2010

Given the City’s financial meltdown and the national economic crisis, about the only thing growing in San Diego is the size and number of its potholes. But while there may be no money left to pay for filling them, Mayor Jerry Sanders still apparently holds out hope for a paving nirvana. Hence, his administration’s request for proposals from those capable of performing a “pavement assessment survey” of the entire city. The winner will “record the surface condition, including cracks, rutting, raveling, bleeding and roughness of the pavement surface.” It adds: “The Consultant may also provide any alternate approaches which may reduce costs or provide data to improve the quality of the roadway analysis. The current budget allocation for this effort cannot exceed $400,000.” The effort may be a response to an embarrassing report on pothole proliferation by a local TV station during the spring…Since selling the Padres and embarking on a bitter divorce war with his wife, John Moores has maintained a low political profile here. But his money is still at work. According to a recent disclosure, the onetime stadium baron gave a total of $39,300 to the gubernatorial campaign of Democratic state attorney general Jerry Brown. Moores also gave $10,000 to the New Majority California PAC, which in turn gave $50,000 to the successful “open primary” measure on June’s ballot. New Majority also spent $8500 for Prop G, the Chula Vista measure to ban union-only agreements for city projects…The law firm of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis has placed seventh on a top-ten list of L.A.’s biggest lobbyists during 2007–2009, racking up total fees of $3,821,442, according to a new report entitled “Money and Power in the City of Angels.” In San Diego, Allen Matkins’s top influence peddler is John Davies, a onetime top aide to GOP governor Pete Wilson, who helped finance the campaign for strong mayor on June’s ballot.